


Child's Play

by xlissas



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Babysitter AU, F/M, Gen, Multi, hope my fellow shippers enjoy!!, if u don't like ns ur wrong sorry, kiss kiss, would appreciate any feedback, yo it's been forever since i've published anything lmao
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-18
Updated: 2016-10-18
Packaged: 2018-08-23 05:03:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8314924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xlissas/pseuds/xlissas
Summary: [NaruSaku, AU. M for safety. Could get dirty in later chapters.]





	

**Author's Note:**

> HEY SO I HAVEN'T WRITTEN ANYTHING IN A LONG LONG TIME LMAO PLS BE NICE. I've had this AU planned for at least a year now? Or something to that effect? And this prologue has been sitting on my computer for forever. So I thought since I'll be a college dropout I'll get back into writing! Please let me know what you think and maybe motivate me to write the next chapter? ;w; 
> 
> I love all my fellow NS shippers...............y'all da realest

 

If Haruno Sakura was anything, it was punctual. Whether it were for classes, meetings, or interviews, she always managed to arrive on time. She had always taken pride in this, and many of her employers had made their appreciation for it known. She felt it left a good impression on those around her, made people want to trust her.

She never thought it could make her appear too eager.

Sakura sighed as she looked at her phone, noticing she still had at least another half hour before her scheduled interview. She had arrived two hours early, much to her embarrassment, and spent most of that time staring at her prospective employer’s living room and playing with various apps on her phone.

She allowed another five minutes to pass before she looked up from her phone again. That was when she heard footsteps from the hallway, the soft clicking of heels passing her in a blur before the door was closed with a soft thud.

“At this rate, we won’t find anyone,” a voice muttered behind her.

The interview must not have gone well, she figured.

Folding her hands in her lap, she watched as the red-headed woman headed over to the kitchen table, sifting through stacks upon stacks of papers. Her heart-rate spiked in anticipation of _finally_ getting this interview over with. It wasn’t that she was nervous – if her scholarship and previous job interviews were any indication of what this would be like, it wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle. It was the anticipation of facing possible rejection – or possible opportunity.

“Haruno Sakura, right?” the redhead said after a minute, springing Sakura to her feet. The woman neatly stacked a pile of papers before standing straight, her index finger reaching to adjust her red frames. Red eyes blinked for a moment, before a single eyebrow quirked in question.

“Oh- yes, that’s me,” Sakura said with a slight bow.  

“Mr. Uzumaki is down the hall. Follow me, please.”

As Sakura followed, the other woman looked back to her, an obvious exhausted look in her eyes. She had been trying to help her boss find a babysitter to care for his son – who her boss told her repeatedly was the one priority in his life – and so far, all of them had been dead ends. They were either too snotty, too stupid, or just plain not good enough for his boy. This pink-haired woman could possibly be his last hope.

She knocked once before opening the door and turning to walk back down the hallway.

“Good luck,” she said, causing Sakura to swallow thickly. She felt fine, albeit a little embarrassed, before this woman instilled the smallest fragment of doubt within her.

Sakura pushed open the door and she was met with a home office strewn with various papers and a frazzled blond man behind the desk in the middle of the room. Jade eyes blinked once, twice; she opened her mouth to say something, to introduce herself, but quickly shut it and stepped back as a paper came flying towards her.

“Resume, resume—“ Mr. Uzumaki, she presumed, mumbled under his breath as he continued to strew papers about with one hand. “Where the hell did I put that resume?”

_         Jeez, Kiba didn’t mention this guy was totally out of it and unorganized,  _ Sakura thought to herself.

His blue eyes glanced at her every few seconds, and with each glance he seemed to be in more of a hurry. He sighed in frustration before finally resting his hands on his desk and, underneath them, the document he had been looking for.

“Oh,” he sighed, “there it is.”.

She had  _ pink _ hair – natural, it seemed - fair complexion, dressed in a pencil skirt and blazer; nothing totally out of the ordinary or special.

But what really caught his attention were her _eyes_.

They were _identical_ to his son’s.

Her lips lifted slightly into a smile, waiting patiently.

It was a thought that could wait.

“Sorry about that, heh. It’s been a busy day.”

After glancing at her resume, he stood and walked around his desk, extending a hand to her.

“Haruno Sakura, yes? I’m Uzumaki Naruto,” he said as he gave her hand a firm shake, “Nice to meet you. Please, have a seat.”

She smoothed the back of her skirt before sitting in front of his desk and folding her hands neatly in her lap. She watched as the man tidied his desk, putting his papers back into stacks, the very action seeming to calm his frazzled state slightly. The blond took a deep breath before setting her resume on his desk and turning to look at her.

“So,” he started, “Ms. Haruno. Please tell me a little bit about yourself.”

Gone was the scattered and messy appearance from her arrival – Naruto quickly got down to business, it seemed; at least, once he got himself and his thoughts together.

“Well – I’m a recent graduate from KU. I have a bachelor’s degree in psychology, and I’ve always loved working with kids. I’ve been an off and on babysitter since I was 13 years old.”

“And how did you hear about this job?”

“A friend of mine mentioned it to me,” she replied, “he told me he dog-sat for you a few years ago – Inuzuka Kiba.”

Naruto could recall Kiba mentioning he had found the perfect girl to take care of his son, Shinachiku. He had been back and forth between babysitters, never seeming to be able to hold one down, when Kiba offered to watch Shinachiku while Naruto went to an important meeting.

_“You really need a permanent babysitter, man,”_ Kiba told him, _“like, a nanny. And I know someone who would be perfect for it.”_

That was the comment that started this whole hunt for a long-term sitter – but he couldn’t rely on Kiba’s recommendation alone.

_Who knew she’d actually be my last chance at this,_ he thought as he read over her resume.

“Ah, Kiba,” the blond said, shifting to recline back in his chair. “So, Ms. Haruno, can you tell me about any previous babysitting experience?”

As Sakura listed off the various families she had babysat for, Naruto couldn’t seem to be able to focus on what she was saying. He stared down at her resume, as if he were trying to verify what she was telling him, but his mind wandered off those jade eyes of hers.  He clicked his pen, chewed on the end of it, scribbled, did anything to make him even remotely seem like he was giving her his undivided attention and really considering her words.

If he couldn’t get past how strikingly similar she looked to his pride and joy, he wasn’t sure this would work, even given her qualifications.

When she was done, Naruto pretended to scribble down a comment before glancing up and away from his thoughts.

“Well, I think that’s all I really need to know for right now,” he said before he tucked her resume away in his desk. He felt that her previous experience was all he really needed to hear, even if he hadn’t been actually _listening_  – it was as far as he got with other candidates – and she already had made a good impression just based on appearances. She was nothing like any of the other women – and occasional men – that he met with; she was more than qualified.

_And not bat-shit insane, ‘ttebayo._

“Do you have anything you’d like to know about me?”

Sakura exhaled deeply, visibly relaxing. Talking about herself, no matter how many interviews she had, was always the most difficult part for her.

“Well, I guess I just really need to know about your son,” she said, “how old he is, allergies, or anything you think is important for me to know.”

“Of course,” the blond said with a soft, somewhat embarrassed chuckle, “I guess you need to know more about my son than me, ‘ttebayo.”

_Dammit, be professional._

Sakura bit the inside of her lip discreetly, stifling her laughter.

_Okay, not only is he totally out of it, he’s also got a few quirks._

Naruto cleared his throat before continuing. “Anyway, my son’s name is Shinachiku.”

He reached towards the front of his desk, turning around his favorite picture of him and his son – Shinachiku was sitting on his lap as they ate a bowl of ramen together. Shinachiku was about three then, shortly before he and his wife filed for divorce. It was a picture she had taken of them.

Many of his favorite pictures of he and his son were taken by his ex.

“He’s about three here, but he hasn’t changed much other than being a little taller,” he said, smiling fondly. “He’s five now, and he’s a great kid. He has his bratty moment , but he’s a great kid.”

“Let me guess, his favorite food is ramen?” Sakura asked with a small giggle.

“How’d you know?” Naruto replied with a laugh. He took the frame from her hands and placed it back proudly on his desk. “He’s not really allergic to anything other than cats – but he loves them like he loves most animals – and I guess one really important thing you should know is it might take him a little while to warm up to you. He-…”

Naruto paused, choosing his next words carefully. He didn’t want to reveal too much about his divorce, not until it was necessary – until he gave her the job – but still wanted her to be any issues with him she might have to handle.

“He hasn’t always gotten along with past sitters, at least when they were total strangers.”

_Maybe that’s part of the reason he’s now looking for something long term,_ Sakura mused.

“I’m sure it’s nothing I can’t handle,” she said with a smile.

“I like your confidence.” He smiled and stood, once again extending her hand out to her. She stood and shook his hand, and she could feel any remaining nervous energy leaving her body. Despite his seemingly messy and scattered nature, it wasn’t difficult for her to slowly learn to relax around Naruto. He seemed to give off a warm air she had never really encountered before.

“Looking forward to hearing from you, Mr. Uzumaki.”

His grin widened. “Please, call me Naruto.”

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I know, short. I liked the way it ended here and any questions you might have will probably be answered in the first official chapter. Please let me know what you think!


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